Sealing extrusion for panel joint



Nov. 8, 1966 R. s. GREGOIRE 3,283,462

SEALING EXTRUSION FOR PANEL JOINT Filed Nov. 8, 1962 INVENTOR RESTA S. GREGOIRE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,283,462 SEALING EXTRUSION FOR PANEL JOINT Resta S. Gregoire, Dillsburg, Pa., assignor to Gregoire Engineering and Development Company Filed Nov. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 236,369 3 Claims. (Cl. 52--394) This invention relates to resilient sealing strips for joints between interlocked edges of sheet metal panels of the type disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 194,339, filed May 14, 1962, for Panel and Joint.

The object of this invention is to ensure a positive water-tight seal in joining complementary edges of adjacent panels of the type disclosed in the above referred to application.

A further object-is to provide a non-adhesive sealing strip of resilient material having a cross-sectional forrn corresponding in outline substantially to the shape'of the space between the triangular edge groove at one side of the panels and the complementary interlocking bent edge at the opposite side of the self interlocking assembled panels.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the follow-ing detailed description of a preferred form of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one end of an extrusion of resilient material formed in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross section thereof, and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of a panel joint assembly showing the application of the novel form of sealing strip.

As defined in the pending application, the panels have complementary self interlocking edges on opposite sides of the panels for successive attachment of one panel to another in assembling a wall. The attachment is manually performed by inserting the bent edge 12 of one panel into slot formed at the apex of the triangularly formed edge 14 of the other panel, and after fully inserting this edge 12 moving the panels into alignment, by pushing the extreme edge -16 of the bent edge 12 into the lobe 18 0f the flared base portion of the triangle, and using this point as a fulcrum, pressing the Hat portion 20 of the panel at the base of the bent edge 12 down against the extreme edge 22 of the triangularly formed edge 14 of the other panel to provide pressure contacts between the panels along these two extreme edges .16 and 22.

An adhesive was diflicult to apply at either of these points to provide good sealing means, either initially or when leaks occurred, and prevented easy dissembly of panels.

The present invention provides a good non-adhesive sealing means because it has a resilient frame structure conforming to the space it is mounted in, previous to assembly of the panels, and supports its sealing strip portion 24 over the extreme edge 22 against displacement during assembly. The resilient frame structure of this sealing support means is hollowed out at 26 to provide easy insertion of the curved extreme edge 16, and is hollowed out at 28 to provide relief space for this edge so that .it may .be readily pulled away tirorn the lobe 18 upon dissembly by tilting the panel up.

The opposite sides of the portion 24 and the side of the resilient frame structure next to the bent edge 12 may be serrated as shown at 30 to assure a continuous and extended sealing contact even if portions of the surfaces along these contacts should be rough or uneven.

'I'he hollows 26 and 28 are so formed as to provide an increased pressure on the bent edge 12 as it is fully inserted to push the extreme edge 16 into the lobe 18.

3,283,462 Patented Nov. 8, 1966 Comparatively less force is required to release this pressure when the panel is tilted up to pull the extreme edge 16 out of the lobe by bending the sides 32 and 34 of the hollow 26 inwardly to release the bent edge 12, upon dissembly of the panels, because there is no wedging action upon withdrawal of the bent edge 12 as the portion 34 is readily bent away from the edge 12, whereas during assembly this portion 34 wedges the lower end of the serrated surface 30 against the bent edge 12.

This resilient hollow frame construction thus provides a positive assurance that the sealing strip portion 24 will remain in proper position in the hidden joint and will not slip out of place during assembly of the panels, without the assistance of any adhesives, and at the same time insertion of the bent edge 12 is completed with an increased wedgi-ng pressure into locking relation by the portion 34 and easy withdrawal of this edge is assured without breaking any adhesive joints.

Many obvious modifications in the details of this sealing strip may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the ap pended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A joint between two sheet panel strips and sealing means therefor, comprising two sheet panel strips having complementary interlocked edge formations, and substantially coextensive panels across the joint,

the edge formation of one of said panel strips being a substantially triangularly formed groove having inner and outer side walls connected by a bottom wall and extending back of said panels, said inner side wall extending from the panel edge of said one panel strip, said bottom wall forming the base of the triangle and being extended outwardly from both ends of said base to form lobes, with return portions of said lobes extending in spaced relation substantially parallel to said bottom wall meeting and engaging the lower ends of the respectively side walls, said side walls converging toward said panels to define an open apex in the plane of said panels, the terminal end of said outer side wall having a ledge turned outwardly substantially in the plane of said panels,

the edge formation of the other panel strip being an vangularly extending tongue having a base end at the panel and an outer end with a reversely turned lip at its extremity,

said angular tongue being seated within said triangular-1y formed groove providing a double sealed interlocking joint with a double line resilient pressure contact therein,

one of said line contacts being along the edge of said reversely turned lip resiliently pressed against the underside of the return portion of said internal lobe, the other line contact being along the outer edge of said outwardly turned ledge rat the terminal endof said outer side wall of said triangularly formed groove resiliently pressed against the inside of the panel near the base end of the tongue, and

an extrusion of resilient material having a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape conforming snugly to the substantially closed triangular space bounded by the tongue, the bottom of the triangularly formed groove, the outer side wall and the lobes,

said extrusion having a sealing lip extending into the pressure joint between the edge of said outwardly turned ledge at the terminal end of the outer side wall and the back of said other panel near the base end of said tongue,

said extrusion having hollow relief spaces internally thereof and in its surfiaee about the outer end of said tongue to facilitate insertion and withdrawal of said tongue from said triangular formation.

2. Sealing means as defined in claim 1, said sealing lip being provided with :axial serrations on both sides to assure continuous and extended sealing surfaces in said pressure joint.

3. Sealing means as defined in claim 2, the serrations on the outer surface of said sealing lip extending over the portion of said surface in contact with the inside of said tongue to provide a more extensive sealing t herebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Loucks 52478 Dewhirst 52396 Bradfield et a1. 52588 Strandlund 52396 Coppoek et al. 2069 Beck ,20-69 Flemming 2069 X Cipriani et a1. 52456 Krauss et al. 52397 Bowman 52520 Watson 52394 France.

15 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, HENRY C. SUTHERLAND,

Examiners.

A. C. PERHAM, Assistant Examiner".

Re. 11,294 12/1892 White 52522 614,294 11/1898 Denmore 52531 1,110,272 9/ 1914 Probert 52529 1,583,969 5/1926 Greenstreet 52531 20 

1. A JOINT BETWEEN TWO SHEET PANELL STRIPS AND SEALING MEANS THEREFOR, COMPRISING TWO SHEET PANEL STRIPS HAVING COMPLEMENTARY INTERLOCKED EDGE FORMATIONS, AND SUBSTANTIALLY COXTENSIVE PANELS ACROSS THE JOINT, THE EDGE FORMATION OF ONE OF SAID PANEL STRIPS BEING A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE HAVING INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS CONNECTED BY A BOTTOM WALL AND EXTENDING FROM THE PANELS, SAID INNER SIDE WALL EXTENDING FROM SAID PANEL EDGE OF SAID ONE PANEL STRIP, SAID BOTTOM WALL FORMING THE BASE OF THE TRIANGLE AND BEING EXTENDED OUTWARDLY FROM BOTH ENDS OF SAID BASE TO FORM LOBES, WITH RETURN PORTIONS OF SAID LOBES EXTENDING IN SPACED RELATION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID BOTTOM WALL MEETING AND ENGAGING THE LOWER END OF THE RESPECTIVELY SIDE WALLS, SAID SIDE WALLS CONVERGING TOWARD SAID PANELS TO DEFINE AN OPEN APEX IN THE PLANE OF SAID PANELS, THE TERMINAL END OF SAID OUTER SIDE WALL HAVING A LEDGE TURNED OUTWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF SAID PANELS, THE EDGE FORMATION OF THE OTHER PANEL STRIP BEING AN ANGULARLY EXTENDING TONGUE HAVING A BASE END AT THE PANEL AND AN OUTER END WITH A REVERSELY TURNED LIP AT ITS EXTREMITY, SAID ANGULAR TONGUE BEING SEATED WITHIN SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE PROVIDING A DOUBLE SEALED INTERLOCKING JOINT WITH A DOUBLE LINE RESILIENT PRESSURE CONTACT THEREIN, ONE OF SAID LINE CONTACTS BEING ALONG THE EDGE OF SAID REVERSELY TURNED LIP RESILIENTLY PRESSED AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE TURNED PORTION OF SAID INTERNAL LOBE, THE OTHER LINE CONTACT BEING ALONG THE OUTER EDGE OF SAID OUTWARDLY TURNED LEDGE AT THE TERMINAL END OF SAID OUTER SIDE WALL OF SAID TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE RESILIENTLY PRESSED AGAINST THE INSIDE OF THE PANEL NEAR THE BASE END OF THE TONGUE, AND AND EXTRUSION OF RESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR CROSS-SECTIONAL SHAPE CONFORMING SNUGLY TO THE SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED TRIANGULAR SPACE BOUNDED BY THE TONGUE, THE BOTTOM OF THE TRIANGULARLY FORMED GROOVE, THE OUTER SIDE WALL AND THE LOBES, SAID EXTRUSION HAVING A SEALING LIP EXTENDING INTO THE PRESSURE JOINT BETWEEN THE EDGE OF SAID OUTWARDLY TURNED LEDGE AT THE TERMINAL END OF THE OUTER SIDE WALL AND THE BACK OF SAID OTHER PANEL NEAR THE BASE END OF SAID TONGUE, SAID EXTRUSION HAVING HOLLOW RELIEF SPACES INTERNALLY THEREOF AND IN ITS SURFACE ABOUT THE OUTER END OF SAID TONGUE TO FACILITATE INSERTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF SAID TONGUE FROM SAID TRIANGULAR FORMATION. 